Mumford and Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Willy Mason @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne (25/10/2012)
It had been over two years since Australia was last graced with Mumford And Sons after a sell out tour in 2010. This time around, the four Kings of the London Folk Scene were back to conquer Rod Laver Arena on their Australian Stopover Tour to support the release of their sophomore studio album, Babel.
Willy Mason was the night's first support act to grace the Rod Laver stage. Predominantly solo for most of his set, Mason's music was heartfelt and teeming with emotion, echoing the late Johnny Cash in both his appearance and laid-back style. Those who chose to arrive early were surely lucky enough to have seen Mason's set, which seemingly impressed us all.
When the time comes for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros to make their Rod Laver debut, there doesn't seem to be an empty seat in the house. Last here in 2011 for the Big Day Out festival, the traveling band may be a large ensemble group, but their is a subtle family dynamic to their performance. I suppose that kind of thing happens when you're on the road together for long periods of time, the lines between band, friends and what you may call family begin to blur.
The Magnetic Zeros open their set with Man On Fire, from their stunning 2012 album, Here, instantly captivating their audience. Edward Sharpe's alter ego Alex Ebbert and his former lover (now co-singer) Jade Castrinos duet with each other throughout the set, which showcased their sophomore release with tunes such as I Don't Wanna Pray and That's What's Up.
For the bands long time fans, it was wonderful to hear the inclusion of 40 Day Dream and Janglin' from their debut release, Up From Here. The band even enlisted the help of a Marcus Mumford for a rendition of Child. Unsurprisingly (but perfectly) Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros close their wonderful set with their most popular track, Home, the bustling whistle letting us all know that our time with the Magnetic Zeros was coming to a close. During an extended performance of the song, the band took the time to share stories with the crowd about their time on the road together, giving us a glimpse into their lives off of the stage.
There was so much love and happiness tonight between the Magnetic Zeros. It's a rare thing to witness, when a band who have become so close with each other openly share this with their fans, but Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros captivated the Rod Laver Arena crowd, leaving us all in a dreamy haze of happiness, and setting the scene perfectly for Mumford and Sons.
With fairy lights draped over most of the floor area, Rod Laver resembled a giant beer garden, and as Ben Lovett (keys) stated “…we’re honestly just a pub band who got lucky”. The arena became a perfectly supersized lit up London pub.
The house lights dimmed and the arena erupted as Ted, Winston, Marcus and Ben entered the stage. In darkness, the static foldback intro to Lover’s Eyes began. A soft guitar and Marcus’ distinct vocals was like a red signal to the audience and it became silent. Rod Laver suddenly lit up and there was a roar of applause when the rest of the band joined in. Instantly I was overcome and could tell this night was going to be a true spectacle.
My eyes weren’t the only ones to open wider than normal when Marcus surprisingly started strumming that ever so familiar intro to Little Lion Man. This was the official start to the hoedown that was about to take over the arena. The lights were flickering and all 15,000 members of the audience were either clapping or stamping their feet to the four on the floor rhythm.
As the energy was at a high they lead straight into Roll Away Your Stone. On stage the boys could’ve been mistaken for a hard rock band, head banging and jumping around while maintaining those perfect harmonies.
On the final beat the crowd caught their breath and settled down, anticipating the next song. Gold laserlights caused a collective gasp in unison from the audience as Marcus began playing to Holland Road. A strong trio of horns accompanied the band and the audience was reminded of exactly why these men are the kings of heavy folk.
As the applause continued, Ted, Winston, Marcus and Ben began that ever so perfect four-piece harmony and the crowd quieted down and began to listen. “Cold is the water, it freezes your already cold mind”. Chilling lyrics, Timshel is truly captivating. I felt a sense home amongst the boys when they sang, “As brothers we will stand and we’ll hold your hand”, demonstrating their brotherhood and caused an emotional appreciation from the entire arena.
Marcus then started fingerpicking the intro to Below My Feet, one of my favorites from Babel. Coincidentally, as Ben described, Below My Feet was the song that Mumford & Sons wrote and performed for the first time when I saw them at The Palace in 2010. I remember them explaining that they had written this new song that day, and I was blown away to realize that it was now on the new album. Referred to as ‘Melbourne Song’ by the boys, I felt connected to it and it made the track twice as special.
Leading straight into the next track and almost replicating the film clip, the whole arena was chanting in unison "I will wait, I will wait for you!" as the banjo took off and the audience had regained their hoedown attitude for I Will Wait – feet were stamping and hands were clapping in time with Marcus’ kick drum and tambourine.
A quick change over saw Marcus jump on the drum kit and it was something I was anticipating excitedly as I’d previously had the honor of witnessing him smash it out on drums separately with both Mumford & Sons at The Palace and Laura Marling at The Corner early in 2010.
For a musician to be able to play heavy drums and maintain stunning vocals is a true talent, and Marcus pulled it off perfecty in Lover of The Light. Followed by an old favourite from the debut album and a surprising set list addition, Thistle & Weeds.
Ghosts That We Knew sent chills up my spine and there was no doubt that the Babel tracks were as sentimental as those on the first album. Beloved tracks from the debut record White Blank Page and Awake My Soul had the arena singing their hearts out, and the banjo dominant Whispers In The Dark saw Winston bring out his wild side.
Marcus returned to the drum kit again to close the show with Dustbowl Dance. Such a heavy song was a perfect way to end the show with such high energy. Remaining extraordinarily humble, the boys thanked Melbourne time and time again, and showed gratitude as they left the stage to a roaring applause.
Knowing we were in for an encore, the clapping continued as the four (now very sweaty) men returned for one last bang. Trying to guess what song they would re-open with, I was pleasantly surprised when they started with title track Babel. I was wondering how they had the energy to continue with such a high octane performance, but they soon took a breather to sing the sincere Where Are You Now. A personal favorite of mine I had hoped it would be included somewhere throughout the night, and to hear it at such an passionate time within the set it was glorious closure.
Finally, that familiar opening riff to The Cave started, and there was a huge cheer. It was as if the audience had been waiting for this moment since Little Lion Man. All the lights were flickering and this was the pinnacle of the hoedown. As he sang "…I’ll know my name as it’s called again" we thought it was over.
The loudest applause of the night was only to be followed by an entrance of Edward Sharpe and The Magetic Zeros and Willy Mason onto the stage to officially close the show. Just when I thought they had been absolutely incredible all night, a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain was the cherry on top. Ringing it out with a repeated line of "keep us together", it was simply a perfect way to end a perfect night.
Maddie Stephenson
Willy Mason was the night's first support act to grace the Rod Laver stage. Predominantly solo for most of his set, Mason's music was heartfelt and teeming with emotion, echoing the late Johnny Cash in both his appearance and laid-back style. Those who chose to arrive early were surely lucky enough to have seen Mason's set, which seemingly impressed us all.
When the time comes for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros to make their Rod Laver debut, there doesn't seem to be an empty seat in the house. Last here in 2011 for the Big Day Out festival, the traveling band may be a large ensemble group, but their is a subtle family dynamic to their performance. I suppose that kind of thing happens when you're on the road together for long periods of time, the lines between band, friends and what you may call family begin to blur.
The Magnetic Zeros open their set with Man On Fire, from their stunning 2012 album, Here, instantly captivating their audience. Edward Sharpe's alter ego Alex Ebbert and his former lover (now co-singer) Jade Castrinos duet with each other throughout the set, which showcased their sophomore release with tunes such as I Don't Wanna Pray and That's What's Up.
For the bands long time fans, it was wonderful to hear the inclusion of 40 Day Dream and Janglin' from their debut release, Up From Here. The band even enlisted the help of a Marcus Mumford for a rendition of Child. Unsurprisingly (but perfectly) Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros close their wonderful set with their most popular track, Home, the bustling whistle letting us all know that our time with the Magnetic Zeros was coming to a close. During an extended performance of the song, the band took the time to share stories with the crowd about their time on the road together, giving us a glimpse into their lives off of the stage.
There was so much love and happiness tonight between the Magnetic Zeros. It's a rare thing to witness, when a band who have become so close with each other openly share this with their fans, but Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros captivated the Rod Laver Arena crowd, leaving us all in a dreamy haze of happiness, and setting the scene perfectly for Mumford and Sons.
With fairy lights draped over most of the floor area, Rod Laver resembled a giant beer garden, and as Ben Lovett (keys) stated “…we’re honestly just a pub band who got lucky”. The arena became a perfectly supersized lit up London pub.
The house lights dimmed and the arena erupted as Ted, Winston, Marcus and Ben entered the stage. In darkness, the static foldback intro to Lover’s Eyes began. A soft guitar and Marcus’ distinct vocals was like a red signal to the audience and it became silent. Rod Laver suddenly lit up and there was a roar of applause when the rest of the band joined in. Instantly I was overcome and could tell this night was going to be a true spectacle.
My eyes weren’t the only ones to open wider than normal when Marcus surprisingly started strumming that ever so familiar intro to Little Lion Man. This was the official start to the hoedown that was about to take over the arena. The lights were flickering and all 15,000 members of the audience were either clapping or stamping their feet to the four on the floor rhythm.
As the energy was at a high they lead straight into Roll Away Your Stone. On stage the boys could’ve been mistaken for a hard rock band, head banging and jumping around while maintaining those perfect harmonies.
On the final beat the crowd caught their breath and settled down, anticipating the next song. Gold laserlights caused a collective gasp in unison from the audience as Marcus began playing to Holland Road. A strong trio of horns accompanied the band and the audience was reminded of exactly why these men are the kings of heavy folk.
As the applause continued, Ted, Winston, Marcus and Ben began that ever so perfect four-piece harmony and the crowd quieted down and began to listen. “Cold is the water, it freezes your already cold mind”. Chilling lyrics, Timshel is truly captivating. I felt a sense home amongst the boys when they sang, “As brothers we will stand and we’ll hold your hand”, demonstrating their brotherhood and caused an emotional appreciation from the entire arena.
Marcus then started fingerpicking the intro to Below My Feet, one of my favorites from Babel. Coincidentally, as Ben described, Below My Feet was the song that Mumford & Sons wrote and performed for the first time when I saw them at The Palace in 2010. I remember them explaining that they had written this new song that day, and I was blown away to realize that it was now on the new album. Referred to as ‘Melbourne Song’ by the boys, I felt connected to it and it made the track twice as special.
Leading straight into the next track and almost replicating the film clip, the whole arena was chanting in unison "I will wait, I will wait for you!" as the banjo took off and the audience had regained their hoedown attitude for I Will Wait – feet were stamping and hands were clapping in time with Marcus’ kick drum and tambourine.
A quick change over saw Marcus jump on the drum kit and it was something I was anticipating excitedly as I’d previously had the honor of witnessing him smash it out on drums separately with both Mumford & Sons at The Palace and Laura Marling at The Corner early in 2010.
For a musician to be able to play heavy drums and maintain stunning vocals is a true talent, and Marcus pulled it off perfecty in Lover of The Light. Followed by an old favourite from the debut album and a surprising set list addition, Thistle & Weeds.
Ghosts That We Knew sent chills up my spine and there was no doubt that the Babel tracks were as sentimental as those on the first album. Beloved tracks from the debut record White Blank Page and Awake My Soul had the arena singing their hearts out, and the banjo dominant Whispers In The Dark saw Winston bring out his wild side.
Marcus returned to the drum kit again to close the show with Dustbowl Dance. Such a heavy song was a perfect way to end the show with such high energy. Remaining extraordinarily humble, the boys thanked Melbourne time and time again, and showed gratitude as they left the stage to a roaring applause.
Knowing we were in for an encore, the clapping continued as the four (now very sweaty) men returned for one last bang. Trying to guess what song they would re-open with, I was pleasantly surprised when they started with title track Babel. I was wondering how they had the energy to continue with such a high octane performance, but they soon took a breather to sing the sincere Where Are You Now. A personal favorite of mine I had hoped it would be included somewhere throughout the night, and to hear it at such an passionate time within the set it was glorious closure.
Finally, that familiar opening riff to The Cave started, and there was a huge cheer. It was as if the audience had been waiting for this moment since Little Lion Man. All the lights were flickering and this was the pinnacle of the hoedown. As he sang "…I’ll know my name as it’s called again" we thought it was over.
The loudest applause of the night was only to be followed by an entrance of Edward Sharpe and The Magetic Zeros and Willy Mason onto the stage to officially close the show. Just when I thought they had been absolutely incredible all night, a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain was the cherry on top. Ringing it out with a repeated line of "keep us together", it was simply a perfect way to end a perfect night.
Maddie Stephenson